Weight Loss

An account of the failed investigational weight-loss drug rimonabant, published Thursday, suggests that it may be even harder in the future to bring new prescription diet drugs to the market. The drug, rimonabant, was in a large, multinational late-stage clinical trial when the study was abruptly halted in 2008 because of reports of psychiatric side effects, including some suicides and suicide attempts in people taking rimonabant as either part of the clinical trial or by prescription in countries where the drug had already been approved for marketing.

If we've  learned anything from March Madness, it's that an office pool is fun: It not only holds out the promise of a financial windfall; it pits us against our co-workers in vying for the payoff.  So when it comes to tackling obesity, could the same combination of inducements work to trim workforce fat? A new study , published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, says it can. At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 105 employees who were obese (having a body-mass index between 30 and 40)

As a nation, we are obviously getting fatter and fatter. Not only are we ever more confused about how to lose weight, we're particularly fuzzy on the question of how big a role exercise plays and whether we just have to count calories. So, here's the deal. Yes, you can count calories or weigh yourself every day. If your weight is up today compared with yesterday, you ate more calories than you burned. If it's less, you burned more than you ate -- provided you didn't drink gallons of liquid the day before, which could throw the scale off. It comes down to simple arithmetic, and you've heard it before: Calories in, calories out. You will absolutely, inevitably, sadly, this-could-not-be-clearer gain weight if you eat more calories than you expend in basic metabolism -- breathing, digesting, sleeping, etc. -- plus whatever else you do, such as chasing the kids, walking, vacuuming or going to the gym. But most of us can't, or won't, do the math, probably because it's so depressing.

Weight-loss programs at work can help people shave pounds and keep them off, researchers said in a new report. Among the people who signed up for a six-month program at two Boston-area workplaces, the average weight loss was more than 17 pounds; among the control group, people gained an average of about 2 pounds, the researchers said in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "Worksites have the potential to become a central element in national efforts to reduce obesity because the majority of adults work and worksites offer naturally occurring social groups that, in theory, could facilitate weight control, the researchers from Tufts University and Massachusetts General Hospital wrote.

Remember the experimental weight-loss drug rimonabant, touted as a potential "miracle pill" that could help obese smokers kick the habit, lose weight and keep it off for two years? Marketed in Europe as Acomplia, the drug made it well into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval process before it was linked in 2008 to a doubling of depression risk in those taking it. The drug ended up withdrawn from the European market and pulled from FDA consideration, another failed medication on the ash heap of obesity treatments.

So here many of us are, pledging as we have before to drop some pounds, get into shape and just generally eat better.  Maybe this year!  How are we going to go about it -- and keep the weight off over the long haul? Surprise: Our choices may not always be the wisest. Gluten-free diets will be hot among consumers in 2013, according to a survey of 200 registered dietitians by the health and wellness marketing and PR agency Pollock Communications. But, as this article at FoodNavigator.com explains , that doesn't mean these diets actually help people lose weight . There's scant evidence to suggest so. Consumers will also continue to want natural, simple and minimally processed foods, the dietitians predict, and are less likely to embrace low-carb and low-fat diets . The experts also predict that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers will continue strong.

TV host and ex-"Dancing with the Stars" contestant Kelly Osbourne is talking about her weight -- again. The daughter of rocker Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne talked to Shape Magazine about her weight loss plan and how she officially kicked her addiction to food. Osbourne, who has survived three stints in rehab for alcohol and drug addiction, claims she's also an emotional eater. "I replaced the drugs with food and just got fatter and fatter," she told Shape.com . "When I get upset, my diet goes out the window.

The Food and Drug Administration released information Tuesday suggesting it's unimpressed by a weight-loss medication under development by Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. and casting doubt on the drug's eventual approval. An FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet Thursday and vote on whether to recommend approval of the drug, lorcaserin. But in documents released Tuesday in advance of the meeting, the FDA noted that studies on lorcaserin showed the average weight loss while taking the drug was not significantly different than the average weight loss among people taking a placebo.

Weight-loss methods abound, but which ones are most effective? A meta-analysis finds weight-loss programs that include behavioral interventions by themselves or with medication can be a safe and helpful way to lose weight. The study, released Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine , analyzed 38 behavior-based studies, 18 studies that included a behavioral component plus orlistat, and three studies that combined a behavioral program with metformin. Orlistat is a weight-loss drug available by prescription or over the counter (as Alli)